California weighs mattress recycling fee

SACRAMENTO —
There are wood tax, tire tax, Internet sales tax and insurance tax in California.
Now, some companies suffer from insomnia due to the proposed mattress tax.
Two bills passed by the legislature will make Golden State the first state in the country to charge back new mattresses.
The idea is to ask the industry to recycle springs, wood and fiber from millions of old mattresses that jam landfill sites and cluttered Southern California streets every year.
Some lawmakers estimate that consumers pay $25 to fund the recycling program.
\"Why not add taxes?
Jackie Chan, a Los Angeles resident.
\"The problem with these mattresses is that they are very dangerous.
People throw them on the highway or fall off the truck.
Quiz: How much do you know about California\'s economy?
Hunsicker, tired of seeing old mattresses on the side of the road near her Mulholland Drive neighborhood, created a volunteer cleaningup squad.
She supports efforts across the state for the recycling industry.
The manufacturer did not accept the offer lying down.
They warn consumers of rising prices and believe that any recycling should be handled by the industry rather than the government.
\"This is the recipe for confusion,\" said Ryan Trainer, president of the International Association of Sleep products . \".
Last year, an industry alliance vetoed Sen\'s recycling bill.
Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley).
Now she has made a similar suggestion.
Industry insiders and environmental activists say some sort of mattress recycling legislation may be passed this year.
Hancock\'s bill requires mattress manufacturers to recycle 75% of their old mattresses by 2020.
In order to pay the fee, the manufacturer can charge the retailer or the consumer free of charge.
To avoid triggering Proposal No. 26, Hancock said, she made a bill so that mattress manufacturers would charge back fees instead of the state.
2010 The voting measures define most of the new fees as taxes, so two people are required to approve them
Legislature in their thirties
The industry does not like the new proposal, better than the previous one.
\"Hancock\'s bill sets arbitrary and non-viable recycling targets in terms of the amount of recycling,\" said the trade group leader trainer.
Instead, mattress manufacturers and retailers sponsored bill SB 245 of Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana).
While still under development, it is expected that the state will be required to set back charges paid by consumers, thus forcing the legislature to get an overwhelming majority vote.
Correa\'s bill requires state fees to be clearly listed on the sales receipt, as is the current oil return charge. Anti-
Tax activists believe that the last thing California needs is to add another tax or fee.
\"We are not a big fan of this,\" said John Cupar, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association . \".
\"If the treatment of mattresses is a statewide issue and affects the public, then the general fund should probably pay for it.
\"California people buy about 4 million new mattresses and box springs every year.
About half the time, the old mattress they replaced will eventually appear in the guest room or go to a friend or relative.
Many of the other 2 million discarded units were discarded on the streets or sent to landfill sites.
For wood, plastic, fiber batting and springs, less than 1 out of 10 products are recycled for other products such as steel and carpet liners.
Abandoned mattresses cause disease on city streets and become magnets for mold, mice, insects and other pests.
According to a survey by the Hancock office, Auckland City spends $200,000 a year on old mattresses illegally dumped on city streets.
\"This is a huge problem,\" said Michael Helin, who owns a construction maintenance company in Theo-Crane.
\"Mattresses and illegal dumping lead to graffiti, which leads to the idea that you can do whatever you want in Auckland.
\"Recycling supporters estimate that California\'s largest city processes about 470,000 mattresses and box springs at a cost of $20 million a year.
Los Angeles says it collects about 300 mattresses a day.
John Bell said that the old mattress was also a nightmare for landfill operators because each mattress took up 23 cubic feet and would not break down and because of its flexible structure, \"floating at the top of the dump wants to serve the director of Green Business Solutions at Monterey, a non-profit recycler.
The steel spring \"can destroy the $50,000 worth of equipment in a second,\" he said \".
Terry McDonald, Oakland DR3 Recycling executive director, said that the adoption of a mandatory recycling law would create jobs and facilitate the new recycling business, which would require more quantities to survive.
\"I will be ready for this immediately. \"Sacramento-
The largest Sleep Train Mattress Center in the West-
The Volume independent dealer said that 85% of the old mattresses it collected were either refurbished or recycled.
However, none of the state\'s three non-profit recycling organizations reported getting any material from sleep trains or other major sellers.
Retailers, however, insist they promise to keep old mattresses off the streets.
\"Mattress dumping has become such a huge problem because some companies are not taking responsibility for recycling in the right way,\" said outspoken Larry Miller . \", Chief executive of the sit \'n Sleep bedding chain, its zany TV ad promises to be superlow prices.
\"Recycling\" is the right thing for businesses and communities to do. \"marc. Lifsher @ latimes.